1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate to providing a message service, and more specifically, to providing a message service in which a plurality of users cowrite and share a message.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of a message service is increasing along with the widespread use of portable digital apparatuses such as PDAs and cellular phones. The message services are mainly classified into a short/long message service and a multimedia message service.
The short/long message service (SMS/LMS) is a text service that permits a user to send and receive a text composed of about forty letters. The multimedia message service (MMS) is a text service that permits a music file, a voice file, and an animation file, such as a still image file and a video file, to be attached to a short/long message.
A method of using the message service is as follows. First, a user writes a message by using a terminal and inputs receiver information. When the input of the receiver information is completed, the message is transferred from the terminal of the sender to a terminal of the receiver through a base station. If information on a plurality of receivers is input in the stage in which the receiver information is input, the same message is transferred to the plurality of users. Meanwhile, the receiver can transmit an answer message in response to the received message to the senders. Users can exchange information and make an appointment with each other through the above-mentioned process.
However, in a message service according to the related art, a message written by a specific user is unilaterally transferred to one or more receivers, but the related art does not provide a service that permits a plurality of users to cowrite and share a message. For this reason, various inventions (for example, “GROUP PROMISE SERVICE METHOD USING SHORT MESSAGE FOR SCHEDULER OF MOBILE COMMUNICATION TERMINAL” disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2005-0008327) have been proposed, but the above-mentioned problem has not been solved yet.
Therefore, it is necessary to provide an apparatus and method for providing a message service that permits a plurality of users to cowrite and share a message.